Gordon Young

“ The pines of the high crest stood like serried sentinels, aloof, motionlessly watchful of the noisy men in the little valley far below, that trampled about in anger and talked with wild words; and the hurrying river, with the chant of the wilderness in its rapids, flowed on with tumbling eagerness, fleeing to its great mother, the sea; hurrying through ripples and around bends as if to escape from these bearded creatures that dug into it with picks and shovels, plundering its treasure—treasure gathered grain by grain through the centuries. ”

“ It was nothing new to have the camp vote by falling into groups; and Freeman, who had the gift of strategy, indicated the positions in such a way that those who would defend the woman were gathered near to her. Men came rapidly out of the crowd, and from the far edges of the crowd where they had stood in silence. There was no doubt as to the sentiment of the great majority.
"Why, even here's Tom Simpson hisself," shouted Freeman, pointing with his club, "who's got more reason than you fellows for wantin' justice done, an ' he's votin' the girl ain't guilty!" ”

“ Near the edge of the camp he met a miner who, with a heavy pack on his shoulders, was evidently hurrying off to his far cabin to be ready for work on the morrow.
"What's up?" asked Hales.
The miner eyed him carefully, suspiciously, noting his odd dress, the sombrero, the nearly Spanish cut of jacket and trousers.
"Oh, they're just hangin'of a couple o' greasers!"
"What for?"
"What the hell you s'pose for? Ain't fit to live. He's one o' them de Solers. Pertends he can't savvy English, damn fool. Lot o' good it's goin' to do him—him or the woman." ”

“ I ain't sayin', y 'understand, bein' as I'm tellin ' the truth, s' 'elp me God. This one—they called her Niter"—obviously he meant "Nita"—"she was coaxy, an' you fellers all know how a woman can make a man make a fool o' hisself——"
Some of the jurymen nodded gravely; some in the front line of the crowd muttered a sympathetic "You bet!" Clay Freeman took a bowie knife from his belt and whittled meditatively on his stick. He was one man of whom no camp-woman had ever made a fool, and the miners respected him in that he never went near the lewd girls that came from time to time into Fan Fare. ”

“ Tom Simpson he reckernized the feller as one of some greasers what robbed him a while back. They was ridin' hosses with that there de Soler brand, an' they can't give no suitable explanation o' theirselves."
"You mean they can't talk English."
"They won't talk it, an' they pertend not to savvy when they boys talk Spanish to 'em."
"Aren't there any Spaniards in camp?"
"In Fan Fare! Not live ones, there ain't. The boys run 'em out. They was in with the de Solers. All greasers is in with them de Solers. Col. Nev'son he's got the right idee." ”

“ Gubbins might take care of this girl tonight."
"We don't like greasers none too well in Fan Fare," said Joe, doggedly.
"Now, Joe, that there ain't no way for to talk!"
"I'll talk whatever way you say, pard. But I got to feel like I can't help," said Joe, looking humbly at his partner. Then to Hales with an almost savage tone: "You see him? His leg's all busted an' he's got to die, so the doctors say. I don't know what good doctors is if they can't fix up a man like him! ”

“ He looked steadily at Lucita.
"Purty little thing, ain't she? Some o' the boys they was drunk, I reckon, 'cause nobody in Fan Fare'd hurt a woman. No. Not in this here camp."
"Have you any women here, good women?" asked Hales.
"Oh, you bet. Fan Fare's got two women in 'er. There's Mrs. Gubbins. She's a real woman. Come 'crost the plains with Gubbins. Drove the oxen when he was flat on his back, sick. Got two chilern. The other woman she's just a lady an' does washin' for the miners—cusses worse 'n any man in camp. I don't like to hear a lady cuss. ”

“ Me bein' a dyin' man like, I think things I never thought a-fore, the which bein' mostly what a fool I allus been. I dug as much dust as the rest, but like the rest I spent 'er too. Here comes the boys now. The hangin' 's over."
The miners, with something like the sound of storm in the hum of voices and tramp of feet, came with a rush toward Fred's House. In the same way they were going into other saloons. Anybody with a shack of cloth or lumber, a gallon of whisky and a few tin cups, might have a saloon; with a table and a few stools this might also be a gambling house. ”

“ But she's a real lady anyhow. You bet! But Mrs. Gubbins she's our kind of woman. She took powerful good care o' me when I was first hurt. Ever'day most she comes up here to see me now. There's nothin' like a good woman to make a feller feel a damn fool for bein' one.
"There's two dude gamblers went off to bring in some ladies to Fan Fare. They was due back here today. They're goin' to put 'em here at Fred's House. There used to be two ladies here, but Clay Freeman an' the boys asked 'em to light out after one night they took Hick'ry's pouch. ”

“ A blanket was folded over the leg.
"You've been hurt," said Hales, by way of saying something.
"Yes. You bet," said the miner, one of many known throughout the camps as "Yank." A sense of suffering emanated from him. His face was bearded. His eyes sunken, feverish with pain. "I got a leg smashed. Rock she shore fell on it. Doctors here say I can't live 'less it's cut off. Say I'll shore die quicker if it is cut off. So what's a feller to do? An' she shore hurts. Hurts bad. Me an' my pard we built a cabin, to winter in but I was brought down here to the hotel so I could be took care of better. ”

“ Find out about that," said Freeman.
Benito explained with a brevity that was not usual when he spoke, but the shadow of Death had perhaps impressed him more than he showed in other ways:
"Señor, Don José gave to me a letter and said, 'To Lucita, Benito. To Lucita, and bring me an answer.'
"I lay on the hillside till I found one to carry my letter to the beautiful señorita. I waited for the answer. She came out of darkness. She said, 'Benito, Don José writes me and says good-by; that he loves none and will ever love none but me ”

“ These beds were nearly always bunks along the sides of a big room; a year or so later the big hotels had two or three eight by ten bedrooms; but in '49 nearly all of the hotels had merely tiers of bunks, into which the miners threw themselves fully dressed. At times the proprietor, possibly with a view to the care of his blankets, posted the notice:
GENTLEMEN ARE REQUESTED NOT TO GO TO BED IN THEIR BOOTS
Hales inquired from men in the darkness as he passed by them which was the largest hotel and how to find it. ”